Credit: The Associated Press

NHL hockey player Mike Modano wears a Dallas Stars jersey during a news conference announcing his retirement in Dallas.

DALLAS — Even if the next face of the franchise is in the building when the Dallas Stars retire Mike Modano's No. 9, any comparison will fall short.

This is the guy who made hockey cool in Dallas as many fans were just trying to figure out what they were watching. This is the guy who knew how daunting the task was the moment he arrived from puck-mad Minnesota two decades ago.